Biography

Born: 14 October 1981 in St. Louis, MO

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

Years Active: '00s, '10s

Although he was born in St. Louis, Missouri, singer, songwriter, and producer Aliaune Thiam — aka Akon — grew up in Senegal before he and his family (including his father, jazz percussionist Mor Thiam) returned to the United States and settled in New Jersey when he was seven. There he discovered hip-hop for the first time, as well as crime. He was eventually jailed but he used the time — a total of three years, he claimed — to work on his musical ideas. Upon release, Akon...